The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 812: Chapter 762: Imbalance of Essence, Qi, Spirit

Upon hearing these words, Yu Zhenzi’s face turned slightly pale green, which wasn’t unexpected given even he had predicted that forming the Golden Core wouldn’t be easy; otherwise, his Sect Leader wouldn’t have approached the task with such caution.

But upon actually hearing Pang Hong’s description and his account of his experience in forming the Golden Core, Yu Zhenzi was somewhat alarmed.

“Uncle Master, why did you not participate this time?” Pang Hong looked at Yu Zhenzi with a hint of curiosity.

Frankly, given Yu Zhenzi’s strength and status, in the eyes of the Shenxiao Sect and his own teacher, he was certainly qualified enough. If he were willing, there would simply be no need to take part in any selection to enter the Longevity World.

It was unclear why the Uncle Master had given up. Throughout, he had shown no inclination to participate and had even actively declined, deferring his spot to someone else.

With a smile upon hearing this, Yu Zhenzi responded, “I have some understanding of my own aptitude and comprehension—my current Cultivation Realm relies on the protection and grace of the Sect Leader. Although my talents have been significantly enhanced, I still fall short when compared to true geniuses. As the saying goes, ‘to bite off more than one can chew,’ I am already treading on thin ice in my cultivation, so why should I compete with the juniors for this opportunity?”

He had his own reasoning; his current Cultivation Realm was significantly attributed to his early allegiance to Pei Xuanjing, making him an old-timer in the Shenxiao Sect, and so he received much nurturing.

Nevertheless, Yu Zhenzi was well aware that even back then, his talent did not peak, but merely ranked as ordinary.

He was now at the Sixth Level of the Spirit Realm, attempting to consolidate his Taoist Foundation and break through the constraints of the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm. At such a crucial time, he couldn’t ensure he would achieve a better outcome if his attention was divided and he sought to cultivate the Golden Core instead.

Additionally, one must have sufficient self-awareness. Knowing that no one has succeeded in the practice of the Golden Core Dao and the Nine Revolutions Divine Sky Skill, passed down for so many years, indicates the difficulty of these teachings, which test one’s aptitude and comprehension.

Although the Sect Leader has summoned many to enter the Longevity World, it hasn’t been done openly, which suggests that even he might not be entirely confident. With this being the case, why should I involve myself unnecessarily?

On the contrary, should the Sect Leader truly lower the threshold of this skill so that everyone can practice it, then there’s no need for me to hurry. I’ll simply wait patiently.

Holding such thoughts, Yu Zhenzi remained unhurried and composed.

“Uncle Master, I admire you!” exclaimed Pang Hong, a complex expression on his face, and with a certain admiration he spoke.

Yu Zhenzi’s answer had brought about an epiphany. There was not a single issue with what was said, and Pang Hong found nothing to refute.

At this moment, he realized that many in the sect with sufficient power had relinquished this opportunity, possibly all harboring the same mindset as Yu Zhenzi.

…

In the Longevity World, Pei Xuanjing was unaware of Yu Zhenzi’s thoughts. However, even if he knew, he would probably just shake his head, acknowledging the latter’s cleverness, yet understanding that everything has its gains and losses.

Indeed, their decision not to participate in this trial was wise, needing only to bide their time for the outcome.

What they didn’t realize was that, during the Golden Core formation, even if no immortal essence came to be, Pei Xuanjing would intervene to guide them.

Once Pei Xuanjing completed the experiment and reorganized the Golden Core Dao, he would indeed lower the threshold of practice, but everything would then depend on their own efforts. Ultimately, even if they managed to form the nascent shapes of Golden Cores but failed to produce immortal essence, Pei Xuanjing would not intervene further.

The nature of gains and losses is complicated; whether the outcome is good or bad, no one can say for certain.

Pei Xuanjing’s attention was wholly on these thousand-odd individuals. Roughly ten years had passed in the Longevity World, and the cultivation of these individuals had dissipated, commencing the steps to form their Golden Cores.

This step varied in pace, but ten years were sufficient for everyone to complete it. Now, the only obstacle confronting these people was how to form the nascent shapes of their Golden Cores.

The convergence of Essence, Qi, Spirit into unity, complementary and mutually enhancing, sounds simple. However, in practice, it was far from the ease of thought.

At least even after ten years had passed, only about half of them had managed this step, and more than half were still unable to completely balance their Essence, Qi, Spirit.

Although they had studied the methods and experienced the flow of Yin Spirit power within their avatars operating the Golden Cores, they felt they had mastered it all.

But when it came time to put it into practice, they suddenly realized that understanding the theory and being able to actually execute it were two entirely different concepts.

Pei Xuanjing remained hands-off throughout this, allowing them to explore freely. He observed the process of these people trying to form the nascent shapes of their Golden Cores, seeking to understand these processes and analyze them.

Pei Xuanjing’s Primordial Spirit briefly fused with Heaven and Earth. Now, wielding the authority of the Longevity World, he could clearly control the cultivation area of this group. He was fully aware of the cultivation processes and progress of each one.

“The same skill, yet because of each person’s different insights, habits of operating the skill, and differing constitutions, the effects produced may vary,” Pei Xuanjing thoughtfully summarized and analyzed his gains.

At first, before he truly studied these matters, he believed that practicing the same skill would lead to similar results due to a common origin. Even if there were deviations, they wouldn’t be significant, given the near similarity in effects showcased.

But when he really settled down to observe quietly, he found that these things were fundamentally different from what he had imagined.

“These people, even though they cultivate the same skill and absorb the same Primordial Qi, still end up with different nascent shapes of their Golden Cores due to their varying constitutions and understanding of the skill,” Pei Xuanjing mused with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

He now understood why more than half of these thousand-odd people were temporarily unable to form the nascent shapes of Golden Cores, or why they couldn’t truly balance their Essence, Qi, Spirit—it wasn’t because these people lacked deep comprehension of the skill or hadn’t fully grasped certain aspects, but because they had completely copied everything about the skill, neglecting their individual attributes.

For instance, some people were innately talented in Refining Qi, others were born with strong physiques, while some had inherently powerful Divine Souls. These subtle traits might not be glaring on the surface; however, when operating the method for Golden Core, they acted as amplifiers, exacerbating the imbalance of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.